Actor Irrfan Khan has landed up into a controversy raising questions over Ramzan fasts and the Muslim festival of Muharram. It is just a few days ahead of the release of his movie Madaari that the actor has courted controversy with his comments on goat sacrifice.

The Paan Singh Tomar actor was in his hometown Jaipur on Wednesday to promote his upcoming movie Madaari. He said that the spirit of sacrifice during Eid-ul-Zuha is very significant but questioned the way in which it is done. Questioning animal sacrifice in Muslim fast and festivals, the actor said, “There is hardly any spirit of sacrifice involved in buying two goats for the festival and slaughtering them.” The actor wanted to urge people to think if taking the life of an animal would account as a good deed or not.

The 49-year-old actor said that the actual essence of fasting and the concept of sacrifice have been lost. “Qurbani means sacrificing something close to your heart and sharing with others. Today, you buy a goat from the market for sacrifice. It is something to think about, it is a matter of common sense, we all should ask ourselves how sacrificing another life earns us any goodwill,", the actor commented.

He stressed over understanding the meaning of rituals and festivals.

However, his comments didn’t reach the Muslim community that well. A day after Irrfan Khan’s comments on animal sacrifice in Muslim fast and festivals, the top Muslim clerics in Jaipur advised him to concentrate on his acting and refrain from making controversial remarks on religious matters.

Dr. Mohd. Iqbal Siddiqui of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind said, “The ritual of sacrifice in Islam has been ordained by God and nobody has the right to comment whether it is right or wrong.” “If anyone thinks that sacrificing the animal won’t amount to any good deed, then he is free to not do it.”, added Siddiqui.

But the actor seems to be firm about what he said and is in no mood to take his words back. Here is how he reacted to the clerics’ advice.